Ive been going back and forth on this too. lots of dry fire to get a feel but only had rokstock and HNT26 at the range. took advantage of black Friday and built a ultradyne ud5/XLR buttstock folder combo. I did take the ud5 out for one hunt. I didn't want to wait for an XLR mg and the ud5 forend is shorter and only 3 oz heavier plus cheaper so I gave it a shot. also had a hnt 26 folder in the past but m ight stick with straight hnt26. I think a lot of it depends on the grip and intended uses.
my takes.
folder
I don;t think a folder makes sense for me. with a 20in Tikka In the sg rifle sling the rifle sits about the same height as the rifle folded in my nalgene pocket of my pack. I can also deploy my rifle out of the sg rifle carrier a lot quicker without taking off my pack if I kick something up out of its bed. if you are brush busting a lot or in the alders of AK a lot then I guess the folder might be worth it so your buttstock doesn't get caught up. But if you have been happy with a gun bearer or sg sling and don;t bust brush then I don;t think you are missing much. the aesthetics and novelty of the folder is pretty sweet though. it just looks cool.
With folder,
the XLR I like a lot better. its a lot quieter (if you have jumpy deer inside 200 I could see the hnt 26 clicking being a problem, although you can press while opening slowly to make it quieter but in the heat of the moment not sure I'd remember). and I like how it doesn't lock when folded too. tension adjustment is nice.
with an XLR style I picked up a tr 2 buttock along with the folder /ultralight XLR buttstock. It will allow my son to have a substantially more adjustability under 12 in lop with my 223 Tikka. hnt 26 you can only get as short as 12.5. I can also swap and use the tr2 buttstock on a cheap outlier chassis that I'm using on a beater savage. the swapability is nice. The HNT26 only folds parallel with the forend too so you can get the xlr a little more compact as it folds all the way past parallel.
Grip is huge and might make or break ffor a lot of people. if you can feel these up somewhere or at shoot I think you definitely should before purchasing. ( I wear a large glove fwiw) The hnt26 carbon MDT pistol grip with the palm swell is perfect for me. it also has a notch on the chassis for your thumb which is much comfier than the UD5 chassis. The XLR looks similar to the UD5 and although you can put a thumb rest its not as inline with the hnt 26 is with the notch. I used the non carbon HNT26 pistol grip with the UD5 for the palmswell and it only weighed 2 oz on my scale. The carbon smoke grip for XLR is only 1 oz and 180$ without the palm swell so it didn't seem like a good use of funds. B5 P grip 22 is also another cheap option that's 2 oz that would work with ultradyne/xlr. The rokstock grip feels much more natural than both though imo. I also like the bravo grip over both ud5/hnt26 as well but that's more a chassis issue vs specific versions.
Carrrying.
the HNT26 definitely carres better in hand. especially with the 3rd flush mag. (3rd flush mag does not work in ud5 but I wouldn't carry it over mag anyways like I can the HNT26). note I have the non arca hnt 26 version and will be putting a small arca rail in the second mlok spot. still plenty of room for my hand. the carbon also doesn't get hot or cold and its rounded forend feels better. The ud5 and xlr foreends are similar with a more squared forend that doesn't carry as nice imo. .In a pack in the sg rifle carrier, neither had issues deploying quickly however in the heat of the moment the XLR seems more snaggy.
weight
The hnt26 is a lot lighter. hnt 26 is about 30 oz including spacers for a 13.5 -14 lop. and ounce or two more with folder. with the ud5 I'm giving up maybe 10-12 oz but the ability to use the tr2 buttstock along with the folder is the tradeoff. My current setup Sans barreled action/scope weighs 42 oz. With the 20 in 223 Tikka, to84 rings, bubble and 20 oz SWFA 3x9 Im at 8lbs 9oz (no mag). in the Hnt26 no spacers I had it at 7lbs 11 oz (no spacers). In the XLR weight calculator on their site with folder, 12.5 carbon buttock/ bag rider, mg Tikka SA chassis, smoke grip it says lightest you can get it is 38 oz (no mag). still heavier than hnt 26.
comparison with rokstock.
I've been behind the chassis a lot to dial in lop and dry fire and the rokstock just feels so much more natural to get behind for me. I've admittedly not had a lot time behind the chassis but between thumb on side with chassis I prefer the thumb in line with bore like on RS. the rokstock grip is also perfect for me. it took some spacers to get the lop dialed with my cheek wield but how it feels is just excellent. factory mags is also better imo than dealing with aics mags plus its half/a third of the price. recoil management better too with rokstock however in smaller bores might not matter. with muffs I do better with a chassis as the negative comb on RS slightly interferes with cheek weld. The hnt 26 buttpad also sucks but I'm giving the obi cush pad a try. I would definitely like
hope that helps someone. in short its a lot like boots or packs, try before you buy if can. application also key. if you have kids the XLR adjustability might trump the heavier weight. if shooting comps and hunting that also might push you in favor of a chassis over a rokstock where you can add weights or change buttstocks depending on purpose. if hunting thicc stuff. folding might make the chassis more appealing. but if you are on a budget the rokstock still excellent value and for me the more comfortable shooting experience of the 3 with a better price and similar weight. cant fold though and no full length arca if you like to shoot off a tripod. I got another Hnt26 folder on the way bc I thought I'd like it more than the straight but probably will let it ride with these 3 for now(they all have things I like) until I come to anymore realizations.
